After his hologram in 2017, Jean-Luc Mélenchon wants to relaunch his campaign with an “immersive meeting”. What should the Nantes supporters of the rebellious candidate expect?
It is a somewhat special event that Jean-Luc Mélenchon will hold this Sunday, January 16, in Nantes: an “immersive meeting”. The candidate of La France insoumise must play “a role of narrator”, while immersing his audience in a set of images, sound, and even smells in a room specially designed for the occasion at the exhibition center of Beaujoire.
“All the walls will be screens on which 16 video projectors will broadcast 360° images” and “96m2 of LED panels on the ceiling will complete the impression of immersion”, explained LFI deputy Bastien Lachaud, event manager. Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s campaign, during a presentation to the press. “Visual stimuli will be accompanied by spatialized sound, with different natural scents.”
Also present at this press conference, MP Clémentine Autain explained the course of the event. Three main themes – the sea, space and the digital revolution – must be addressed in this meeting, organized in two parts. Initially, “fragments of texts, poems, philosophical, political and literary texts” will be read by personalities supporting Jean-Luc Mélenchon. The candidate will then win the stage, positioned in the middle of the audience.
Impress and fill your nose
The realization of the event was entrusted to the scenographer David Mathias, who worked on several cultural projects, including the centenary of the declaration of independence of Ireland. With one objective, according to Bastien Lachaud: “To put a little poetry back into politics”…
The real novelty of this atypical meeting, which is the great pride of Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s campaign teams, lies in the olfactory dimension of the event. For the first time, a political rally will diffuse “smells” to its supporters.
If the scents have not been specified, it is also difficult to know if the 3000 people expected will be able to fully appreciate them. Indeed, in order to respect the health protocol against Covid-19, the campaign teams will distribute FFP2 masks at the entrance to the Nantes hall.
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